More than simply beautiful images, I want my photography to speak to the diversity of the world we live in; unfortunately we may not be able to share much of this diversity with our children or their children other than in photographs. There are hopeful signs, such as the discovery of a tiny number of Chinese Crested Tern, thought to have been extinct since the 1930s, on the Taiwanese island of Matsu in 2000. For every such case however, there are many other cases of species that have dwindled to a few hundred surviving individuals. While most people are aware of the plight of the more prominent endangered wild mammals, such as the Tiger and the Rhino, both well researched and documented in the wild, there is still much to learn about rare and endangered birds - some have never even been photographed in the wild!
When coming face to face with a wild animal it is the greatest rush imaginable, so much so that I must take care not to get shaky while taking the shot. No two animals of the same species will react the same way to your presence; inevitably they have a personality of their own, every now and then being more cooperative than expected - almost posing for the camera. Other times they learn to tolerate your presence, but most of the time the encounter is so brief and fleeting, that occasionally I choose to simple enjoy the moment and forget about the picture. Ultimately it is more important to enjoy the process of photography than to worry too much about the results.
Ironically, one of the accusations leveled at me in the past by family and friends was that I failed to take enough snaps when I traveled. I was a failure as a tourist, simply taking in every new experience and sensation without worrying about documenting or preserving them on film. Even to this day I find photographing people of other cultures the most challenging. Perhaps my reserved Danish nature doesn't allow me to easily approach a stranger, much less simply start photographing them. I am always torn between the need to find some form of approval and getting the shot of people when they are not self-conscious; usually before they are aware that they are being photographed. A compromise I have found is that after finding that the person is comfortable in my company, I wait for an unguarded moment to photograph them. Often I am 'discovered' immediately after taking the shot, but so far I have almost always been rewarded by a smile as a result.
Born in Sweden to Danish parents, I was raised in Denmark, The Netherlands and Chile respectively. From 1993 I lived in Boston, USA, until moving to Taiwan in September 2005 with my husband and two children. For now every day is a new adventure here, while I continue to travel and explore other parts of Asia and the world.
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